Better Than Me
by dancbabe89
Summary: Edward and Bella have had eyes for each other since they met, but timing and maturity just aren't on their sides. She ignores him for a boy at a college preview. When she returns, he is with a Hooters waitress. When they finally do get together, it will all be built upon lies. Will the tangled web they weave keep them blissfully ignorant or will it all come crumbling down?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer or the song Better than me by Hinder.**

**Summary: Edward and Bella have had eyes for each other since they met, but timing and maturity just aren't on their sides.**

**Bella ignores Edward for a boy at a college preview. When she returns, he is shacking up with a Hooters waitress.**

**When they finally do get together, it will all be built upon lies. Will the tangled web they weave keep them blissfully ignorant or will it all come crumbling down two minutes too late?**

PROLOGUE:

Anonymous POV

I think you can do much better than me  
After all the lies that I made you believe  
I think you can do much better than me

After all the lies that I made you believe

Guilt kicks in and I start to see

The edge of the bed

Where your nightgown used to be

I told myself I won't miss you

But I remember

What it feels like beside you

I really miss your hair in my face

And the way your innocence tastes

And I think you should know this

You deserve much better than me

While looking through your old box of notes

I found those pictures I took

That you were looking for

If there's one memory I don't want to lose

That time at the mall

You and me in the dressing room

I told myself I won't miss you

But I remember

What it feels like beside you

I really miss your hair in my face

And the way your innocence tastes

And I think you should know this

You deserve much better than me

The bed I'm lying in is getting colder

Wish I never would've said it's over

And I can't pretend... I won't think about you when I'm older

Cause we never really had our closure

This can't be the end

I really miss your hair in my face

And the way your innocence tastes

And I think you should know this

You deserve much better than me

I really miss your hair in my face

And the way your innocence tastes

And I think you should know this

You deserve much better than me

Guilt kicks in and I start to see  
The edge of the bed  
Where your nightgown used to be  
I told myself I won't miss you  
But I remember  
What it feels like beside you  
I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me

While looking through your old box of notes  
I found those pictures I took  
That you were looking for  
If there's one memory I don't want to lose  
That time at the mall  
You and me in the dressing room  
I told myself I won't miss you  
But I remember  
What it feels like beside you  
really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me

The bed I'm lying in is getting colder  
Wish I never would've said it's over  
And I can't pretend... I won't think about you when I'm older  
Cause we never really had our closure  
This can't be the end  
I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me

Hinder's lyrics were blasting through the speakers as I parked on the side of the road. I never pictured this reality for my life. This song couldn't ring truer in my ears. My entire life I had pictured myself ending up happy. Sure, I tested the boundaries of relationships my entire past, engaged in a little white lie here or there, and I had even embraced a ménage a trois. Did all of that really cause karma to kick my ass? Like it wasn't already kicked enough…

The rain outside poured with a vengeance and the loud claps of thunder echoed the rage inside me. My blackened heart was close to being numb. I was angry. I was depressed. I was relived. How all of those even mixed together was too complicated for me to analyze right now.

I never thought I would hit my spouse. Spousal abuse was something I was adamantly against. Yet here I was in my middle twenties, fresh from the worst fight of my life, and I didn't feel guilty at all. I thought that the first years of marriage were supposed to be all happy and twenty-four/seven sex and shit. Whoever told me that was lying. I was stuck in the most horrible relationship of my life, and I just realized it today. My entire world flipped in less than twenty four hours and I didn't know what the hell to do about it. All I knew was that I wished I could go back in time… Back about seven years to be exact.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own Twilight or the song Better Than Me. No copywrite infringement intended! I do however own this plotline...

A/N- Here we go Chapter one... enjoy! We are going back in time... to the very beginning.

I want to thank PTB and my betas Nuttyginger and Mel/mcc101180 because without them... this chapter would have a lot more errors and be a lot harder to read. Any mistakes are purely mine.

**Edward and Bella have had eyes for each other since they met, but timing and maturity just aren't on their sides.**

**Bella ignores Edward for a boy at a college preview. When she returns, he is shacking up with a Hooters waitress.**

**When they finally do get together, it will all be built upon lies. Will the tangled web they weave keep them blissfully ignorant or will it all come ****crumbling down two minutes too late?**

Bella POV

"Belllllaaa!" I heard my best friend Alice long before I could see her in the crowded hallway. "I really think you should go out with Jasper. Meet the boy for coffee or something. He is gorgeous, and you've had a crush on him since junior high."

She was right. Jasper had been in my world for as long as I could remember; he had played the bagpipes for my drill team in junior high while we marched onto the football field. He was good looking, sure. He had wavy, blond hair that curled up on the ends, a dimple on only one side of his face, and the most amazing blue eyes. Our parents had known each other since before we were born, but we just never clicked. We had different circles of friends and interests. His family was extremely wealthy and liked to show it, where my own family was modest about our assets. Not to mention,I wasn't the type to go out of my circle of close-knit friends. While I thought Jasper was attractive, I was a closet introvert, and we just didn't seem compatible.

Looking into Alice's eyes, seeing the excitement sparked something though. I hated to disappoint her, and if I was honest with myself, I didn't want him to reject me. He didn't seem all that interested in me.

"Okay," I replied_. I could do coffee, right?_ Now all I had to do was convince Jasper. Just my luck; he was headed our way.

"Ladies," Jasper said, as he walked past us.

_It's now or never._

"Hey, Jasper! Would you , um, maybe want to grab a coffee sometime?" As he turned back to us, a look I could not distinguish crossed his face and disappeared just as suddenly.

"How about tonight? I'll meet you at the Market Square Starbucks at seven-thirty," he said walking away before I had the chance to answer.

I turned to Alice. "I guess I got myself a date."

She jumped up and down, squealing like a five year old.

"Oh, Bella, I am so excited for you! I can't believe it's taken you seventeen years to get your first date," Alice said, her voice full of excitement. "So, the date is at seven-thirty, that gives me enough time after school to do your hair, your makeup, and pick out an outfit. And before you even think about it, you are not wearing jeans!"

_Ugh, stupid pixie and her fashion obsession. It was just coffee for crying out loud._

I told her as much, "It's just coffee, Alice. Don't go overboard!"

Alice's head whipped around at me. "Bella, just because you have a date, doesn't automatically make him your boyfriend. You need to make the effort, dress nice, and get his attention long enough for feelings to develop."

I sighed. Maybe she was right. After all, I'd never been on a date before, and she has been on at least ten in the last three months.

"Okay Ali, meet me here after class, and we will head to my house."

The rest of my classes flew by. Before I knew it, I was home, and Alice was forcing into a chair in front of the bathroom mirror. All my bathroom electrical outlets were full, and my face was being poked and prodded with foreign objects.

"Alice," I whined, "how much longer? We have been at this for over an hour, and I am quite sure I don't need a red carpet look to go for coffee! Do you hear me? C-O-F-F-E-E?" I spelt out.

"Oh, Bella, hush. Whining like a two year old isn't an attractive quality on you. I am almost done anyway just a touch more of eyeliner and voila!" She handed me a mirror. "Here, check yourself out. I know you were thinking about wiping it all off the moment I left. But look, you don't need to!"

She was right. _Damn her pixie ways_. Given the amount of makeup sitting on the vanity, and the amount of time taken to apply, I was sure I would look like Bozo the Clown. I was wrong. There was barely a hint of blush on my cheeks, my brown eyes were highlighted with some gold accents, my lips were darker than normal yet still looked natural.

"I have to say, Alice, I am impressed." I turned around. _Darn it, I spoke too soon._ She had at least ten outfits laid out on the bed. After trying all of the outfits on, Alice chose the first outfit,. Sometimes I swear she does this as her own form of playing dress-up. Bella- Barbie. _Argh._

As I got ready to leave, Alice called out to stop me.

"Bella, a boy can never know that you are waiting on him. He must always wait on you, and leave the timetable in your hands, my dear."

I didn't quite get the purpose behind that. _Weren't relationships about trusting each other and leaning on one another? Surely, no guy wants everything to be dictated by his girlfriend. Ugh, we aren't even dating yet. We are just going out for coffee, so it doesn't matter anyway._

"Alice, I am not waiting because of your stupid rules. I will call you later," I growled unintentionally. It wasn't her fault I couldn't stop my brain. I walked right past her and out the door.

The drive to Starbucks was short, but it gave plenty of time for the nerves to build. When I pulled into the parking lot, I realized I was early. I wasted time by checking my email and Facebook. After five minutes of stalling, I gave up and got out of the car.

I looked around but I didn't see Jasper. I headed up to the counter_. I might as well get my coffee_,I thought.

"Let me guess," Jasper interrupted my thoughts, "nonfat white chocolate mocha?"

"That is Alice's favorite drink. Not mine. I like my full fat," I replied with a hint of sarcasm.

His lips twitched before he broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Oh yeah, Bella, I can tell by how fat you are," he responded with an equal amount of mockery. "What's your BMI, like 16?" Okay, so he had a point. With the help of my dancing and exercise, I was not, by any means, fat.

"What can I say," I replied with a smirk, "I like to eat. I'll have a caramel frappuccino," I told both him and the woman behind the counter. Just for the fun of it I added, "With extra whipped cream, please."

I turned slightly and noticed Jasper ordering at the other registrar. _Okay, he wants me to pay for my own, must be a first date thing. Or maybe he doesn't picture this as a date… _My thoughts were going crazy. I went ahead and paid for my own coffee and decided to let it go. It wasn't that big of a deal.

"So what do you do outside of school aside from playing the bag pipes," I asked.

"I volunteer at the fire station and I am taking flying lessons."

"Oh yeah? How did you get into the firefighting stuff? And flying as in a plane…" I let my voice drown out at the end.

He laughed. "Yes, as in flying a plane. I got into firefighting through a friend. It is an adrenaline rush. What about you? What do you do outside of school and flaunting your flexibility?"

I smirked because the dance team that I was on was known for being able to kick above their heads and contort their bodies into weird positions.

Our names were called for our coffee. Jasper and I grabbed our drinks before we settled back at the table.

"I plan to go to college. I am not really sure what for." I shrugged. "Maybe to get into med-school, maybe be a teacher. I just know that I love kids, and I really want to settle down and be a stay-at-home mom one day."

"Speaking of family, do you have any brothers and sisters?" he asked, as we sat down.

"No," I said, shaking my head sadly. "I wish I did though. I have Alice. She is like a sister to me. What about you?"

"I have a sister, Rose, and a step-brother Marcus. I don't really count Marcus as family though. I've only seen him twice, since he lives with his mom.

It was becoming clear to me that Jasper was going to be a great friend to me, but probably not much more. Sure, he was attractive; I just didn't see a relationship between us lasting.

I could tell with Jasper's demeanor, that he felt the same.

We left the coffee shop and went to the park just as the sun was starting to set. Jasper took my hand in his, and I let out a gasp.

"I like you, Bella. I don't really do this… relationship stuff." He finished. "I guess what I'm saying is that I don't really know how to."

I shrugged. "I'm no example, Jasper. This was pretty much my first date, if it counts as one."

He winced.

"I'm sorry you didn't enjoy yourself, Bella. Maybe we should go?"

I nodded. I led him to my car, my hand still in his. It didn't feel bad; it just didn't feel like I would have expected it too. It just felt awkward.

"What time is your curfew?" he asked suddenly.

Being the snarky thing I was, I replied, "I guess that depends on if you are on my parents' good or bad side."

He laughed. "Suppose I am on the good side?"

"Eleven PM on weekends. Why?" I questioned.

"We can have visitors at the fire station. You could come over when I am working and check it out if you want."

"Yeah. Maybe I will."

We awkwardly hugged and swapped numbers before I got back in my car and headed home.

Alice attacked me with questions, before I could process my thoughts.

"Oh my gosh, how was it? Was he a good date? Did he open doors for you? He seems like that type. He bought your coffee, right? You were gone a long time. Oh my God, Bella, tell me you hooked up with him! You didn't hook up with him, right? I mean, it's too early for that."

"Whoa, Ali! Slow your roll! Umm let me see. It was fun, yes, yes, yes he is that type, no, no of course not, and yes. Whew!" I counted off my answers to her questions on my fingers.

"Bella…" she whined, "Tell me details. I have to have details!"

"Okay, slow down though," I answered. "Jasper was a perfect date. He said and did all the right things. I just thought when I liked a boy it would be more, I don't know… obvious. We exchanged numbers though, and I think I might visit him at work. He's easy to talk to and would make a good friend." She looked at me. "What, Alice?"

"Nothing, Bells; I was just hoping we found the guy for you. I mean, he seems perfect!"

Alice's response gave me an idea. I smiled. _Perfect indeed…_c.

Three days, after my date with Jasper, I got a text asking if I could come to visit him. I quickly sent Alice a text.

**Jazz wants me to visit. U free?**

Fifteen minutes later, she still hadn't answered, so I went without her. As I pulled up to the fire station, I felt extremely nervous.

I saw Jasper playing basketball with several guys around the back of the station. I hesitated before walking toward them.

"He;p/y Bella!" He called out to me as he wrapped me in a huge hug.

"Hey, Jazz, and who is this?" I asked, referring to the huge, intimidating guy behind him.

"I am Emmett, but you can call me Emmett."

"Wow, smooth, Em." Jasper laughed, shaking his head. "Bella, Emmett here is on shift today along with several other guys: Jake, Sam, Seth, and Edward. I am sure you will meet them all eventually."

"Nice to meet you, how many people are on shift at one time?"

"Two to three at a time for each station, plus whatever volunteers show up," Emmett answered.

I nodded.

"Does this mean our game is over?" Emmett asked.

"It doesn't have to be." I cut in before Jasper could respond. "I can sit back and watch."

They smiled back at me and I knew I had made the right choice. I didn't want to interrupt their game; I just wanted to hang out. After all, you could tell a lot about a person from watching them uninhibited.

Turns out watching them was absolutely entertaining and necessary. The boys were a rough lot, talking smack and flipping each other off.

After a while, I'd had enough.

"All right, boys, next score wins!" I shouted. They both turned to pout at me and plead their case for more points.

"Uh uh uh." I stopped them before they could start whining. "You've both cheated more times than I can count therefore you are on an even playing field."

"Your ass is mine, J-Dub," Emmett called out as Jasper passed him the ball to check it.

"Bite me!" Jasper responded before retrieving the ball from Emmett and shooting it toward the basket for the win. Emmett must have known Jasper's shot was golden because he lunged for the shorter man, with his mouth wide open.

"Holy shit!" Jasper screamed. "I didn't mean really bite me, you stupid oaf!"

That was the beginning of the next ten minutes of wrestling, while I stood by with wide eyes. I was completely dumbfounded when two adult-ish men began to roll and tumble and bite and pinch each other. I would have expected as much from four to eight-year-old boys, but these guys were at least a decade past that stage.

_Or not…. _ My brain had to give its stupid opinion. Needless to say I was quite amused. They finally realized that I was still there and rolled apart before standing up and dusting off. They each straightened their clothing, before looking up at me slightly embarrassed.

"So can I get a tour?" I asked, changing the subject and letting them off the hook.

They showed me the kitchen, the computer room, the office area, and the dorm. The bay was open, and I could see the trucks easily, through the workout equipment that was currently in front of me.

"Do you wanna see where we spend most of our time?" Jasper asked.

"Of course!"

Jasper led me to a door that hid a set of stairs. I followed him up the stairs and Emmett trailed behind me. The stairs led to a storage area upstairs with no air conditioning and only some plywood for flooring. I hoped this was not where they hung out on a regular basis. The guys both looked at me, seeking approval of their hideout. I looked around before hesitantly voicing my opinion.

"This looks, erm, cool." I wished that they could at least grasp my good intentions, instead of my lack of interest in their den.

"Hahahahah." They both cracked up laughing. I mean bent over hands holding their waists laughing. I glared.

"Come on, B. Follow me!" Emmett said, as he took off towards a door I hadn't noticed.

As soon as I stepped through the door, I was hit with fresh, cold air. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply before taking in my surroundings.

Opening my eyes, I saw a pool table, sticks all hung on a wall rack, and a bar table and chairs in the corner. Further into the room was a large sectional, a huge sixty-inch or more flat screen TV, a cable system equipped with DVR, a VCR/DVD/Blu-ray combo, and every game system known to man. It was a room made for almost every boy-man interested in hanging out and playing video games. .

"This room is awesome! Do you know how to play pool?"

"Eh. I'm okay. Jasper here can shoot with the best of 'em though," Emmett goaded as he elbowed Jasper in the side.

"Can you guys teach me? I've never played before, but I have always wanted to."

"Yeah, grab a cue," said Jasper.

They taught me the basics of playing pool, but there was no hands-on instruction. I wasn't sure if I was happy about that or disappointed. After forty-five minutes or so of trying to get more than one ball in a pocket, we decided to take a break and watch some TV.

I checked my phone, Alice still hadn't texted me back. I went to send her a second message to check on her, but my head turned away on its own accord, when I heard the door open and a very sexy voice coming from behind me.

"Aw, guys, you didn't have to bring me a new girl just because I got shot down."

That took away some of the potential boyfriend thoughts I had been having. I turned to put a face with the voice_. Oh. My. God. This boy, man, whatever you call him is beautiful. Breathtaking_. My thoughts caught up with me, and I quickly did a mental double take to make sure my mouth was not hanging open.

"Edward, I wouldn't bring a girl to you unless I had been with her already, man. Then I know she wouldn't want you." Emmett winked at me.

"In your wildest dreams, Emmy-bear. You know I've got talent or you wouldn't have kept me around so long as your wingman," Edward goaded.

I gave him a thorough look over. He had bronze hair that was a little disheveled but looked perfect to run your fingers through, green-blue eyes that looked like they pooled into the Caribbean Sea, a strong jaw line, a nice five o'clock stubble, and some long fingers that I would be willing to bet were magic.

_Wait, what?_ I have been hanging around Alice way too much to be associating his fingers with things I had never even experienced.

"Hi. Edward Cullen," he introduced himself as he looked over me."And you are…?"

_Shit! Shit! What is my name again? Argh!_

"Bella," I said slowly, narrowing my eyes at this immature excuse of a man. Sure, his looks were magnificent, but if he didn't have the brain or maturity to back them up, they were worth nothing.

"Well, Bella," he replied in a smooth voice, a smirk playing on his lips. "Have these boys given you a proper tour? Obviously they didn't because they left out the long hose. It pumps like crazy when it's engaged and hard. I should know, I was just fooling around with it."

_Oh. My. God. He is going to kill me!_


End file.
